Why Zimbabwe chose Peter Mokaba Stadium over Orlando Stadium for AFCON qualifiers

Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees has explained why they chose the New Peter Mokaba Stadium over Orlando Stadium for their upcoming CAF 2025 AFCON qualifier clash against Kenya.

The Warriors are set to lock horns with Kenya on Friday, 15 November 2024. The match is set to kick-off at 18:00.

Zimbabwe are placed in Group J of the AFCON qualifiers with Cameroon, Namibia, and Kenya.

When the two teams faced off in the first-leg in September this year, the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the Mandela National Stadium in Uganda.

Currently, Zimbabwe holds the second position in Group J of the AFCON qualifiers, having accumulated eight points from four matches. The Warriors need one point from their remaining two games to qualify for the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco.

ZIMBABWE HEAD COACH MICHAEL NEES ON NEW PETER MOKABA STADIUM PREFERENCE

The German football manager remarked that the Orlando Stadium is somewhat uneven and that many international teams compete at the Soweto-based venue for the AFCON qualifiers.

“It’s clear we wanted Orlando Stadium, but the pitch is a bit bumpy, which makes a passing game a little bit more difficult,” said Nees in Polokwane on Thursday.

“You could see it in our match; sometimes, the ball was bouncing before we could control it. The surface, come November, is worse due to thunderstorms. I lived there for five years; I know what I’m talking about.

“There are also a lot of teams right now. Madagascar is there, Lesotho, Tunisia, Cameroon, and of course Namibia. So, we said it’s going to be difficult, and I think we made the right choice.”

Due to CAF’s rigorous stadium accreditation requirements, Zimbabwe is unable to host its AFCON qualifying home matches on home soil. Its domestic stadiums do not meet the necessary standards set by the African football governing body.

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